Tool for closing parachute packs



Sept. 12, 1944. BLOXON 2,357,805

TOOL FOR CLOSING PARACHUTE PACKS Filed May 6. 1944 FIBJ INVENTOR E4417". BLOXON Patented Sept. 12, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE 2,357,805'roor. FOR CLOSING mmcnura PACKS Ralph T. Bloxon, Chicago, Ill.Application May 6, 1944, Serial No. 534,515

3 Claims.

(Granted under the act amended April 30,

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me ofany royalty thereon.

This invention relates to tools or implements for closing parachutepacks, and the general object of the invention is to provide a devicewhich will facilitate drawing the straps of a parachute pack together,so.that the rip cord needles may be inserted to secure the pack inproperly assembled condition. The device of the invention may beadvantageously used by persons of little strength or skill to performthe final steps in assembling parachute packs. The preferred device isof simple construction, is readily manufactured, is inexpensive anddurable.

I am aware that it is not new to employ a screw device to draw the endsof a strap together, for example around a trunk, and in this connectionreference is made to the Smith Patent No. 96,843, dated November 16,1869. In the Fremeau Patent No. 2,335,589, dated November 30, 1943, aparachute tool is disclosed employing a lever and ratchet for drawingthe loops on the parachute straps over the prongs of the pack, so thatthe pack may be secured.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a plan view, more or less diagrammatic, of a parachute packshowing the device of the invention in the act of drawing the eyemembers together;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the device, shownfrom the underside;

Fig.'3 is a detail in elevation on a still larger scale;

Fig. 4 is another detail in side elevation;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation on a large scale showing the fasteningmeans for the parachute pack; and

Fig. 6 is a detail in plan shown attached to a strap.

Referrine particularly to the drawing, a parachute (not shown) isassumed to be folded within a cover 5 which is usually of stitchedcanvas, with a fold 6 overlying fold 1, and end folds 8, 9 eachoverlying folds 6 and 1.. The illustrated parachute pack cover is ofsimplified construction, and various details which are unnecessary inthe present disclosure are omitted. The six elastic cords I whichautomatically open the parachute pack are however shown, with theirhooks H disengaged from the eyes l2. These cords are under considerabletension when the hooks and eyes are engaged. Cloth straps B, It arestitched as at i to the end folds or flaps of the eye member,

that they will fit over of March 3, 1883, as

8, 9, and have eye members [6 at their ends, each eye member having acircular eye Ilia and shoulders 16b projecting laterally on either sideof strap l3 (or H). The eyes Ilia are of such size metal prongs or conesl1 secured to fold 1 of the parachute cover and projecting througheyelets l8, which are secured to fold 6. The construction is illustratedin Fig. 5, which also shows one of the rip cord needles I9 passedthrough an aperture 20 extending laterally through one of the prongs orcones. So long as the rip cord needle lies in the aperture 20, the eyemember I6 is locked, and the tensioned strap l3 or M attached thereto isineffective; but when the rip cord needle is pulled out, there isnothing to hold the eye member it on the prong or cone, and it fliesoff, under the tension to which it is subjected by the strap and thefolded parachute, and the packthen opens on all sides to release theparachute.

Primarily because of the resiliency of the'many folds of the parachute,the final drawing into position of the eye members l6 requiresconsiderable strength, often more than women operators are able toexert, especially if the task is to be repeated manytimes during awork-shift. To facilitate this operation, the device of the invention isemployed as will now be described.

The preferred device is adapted to engage eye members i2 and comprisesan elongated flat plate 2 l, preferably of metal, with forked endmembers 22 at one end each having a hook 22a. These hooks 22a are sospaced apart and are of such shape that they may engage the shoulderslfib of one of the eye members [6 on each side of strap 13 or M, Fig. 1.Plate 2| has a central slot 23 for receiving prongs l1 and permittingaccess to said prongs to insert the rip cord needles while the closingdevice is still applied to the parachute pack. At the opposite end ofplate 2| a lug 24 is secured, and this lug receives one end of a leadscrew 25, the screw being held against rotation by a cross pin or rivet25 passing through the lug and screw. A clamp member 21 is freelyslidable on the lead screw and has arm 21a slidable on plate 2| andlying parallel to the axis of the lead screw. A pair of spaced hooks2112 are struck out from arm 21a and are adapted to engage eye member "5on either side of its belt H, as indicated. A nut 28 having a knurledperiphery 28a is threaded on the lead screw 25 and has a boss 28bengaging a boss 21c projecting from the opposed face of the clamp member21. Nut 28 is suflicien'tly large to be easily turned by hand, and as itis tightened against the clamp member, as shown in Fig. 3, the clampmember exerts a pull on the strap l3. Strap I3 is held against movementby the hooks 22a and accord ingly the strap ends with eye membersthereon are drawn toward each other, until finally the eyes are centeredover the prongs l1, whereupon the rip cord needle I! is inserted throughaperture 20 in the prong to lock the parts together. In actual practice,temporary rip cord needles (not shown) are first inserted to hold theprongs and eyelets together, and these temporary needles are removedjust before the rip cord needles l9 are inserted. A groove 29 in theunderside of plate 2| provides room for the rip cord 30 (to which needleI! is secured) as the rip cord must lie between plate 2i and the pack,and plate II is tightly pressed against the pack when the pack has beenfastened. The device of the invention is removed by merely turning thenut 28 in the opposite direction to disengage the hooks from the eyemembers, whereupon it may be applied to another pack to repeat thedescribed closing procedure.

Having describedmy invention, and the preferred manner of using it, whatI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tool for drawing together the straps which bind the folds of aparachute pack, the strapshaving eye members at their ends, the foldsbeing fastened by prongs fixed to the pack and passing through eyeletsalso fixed to the pack, said prongs being passed through the eye membersand receiving rip cord needles to lock the parts together until releasedby pulling the rip cord; said tool comprising a flat plate having acentral opening of sufllcient size to give access to the prongs; meansfixed to one end of the plate an eye member; means at the other plate toengage the eye member on the end of the strap at the opposite side orend of the pack, the last-mentioned means being supported so as to bemovable in a direction lengthwise of the plate; a lead screw fixed tosaid other end of the plate' and a nut threaded on the screw andengageable with the last-mentioned means to move the same lengthwise ofthe plate to tighten said straps.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the last-mentioned meansis freely slidable on the lead screw, and the nut is manually rotatableon the lead screw.

3. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the plate also has alongitudinal groove on its nderside at one end, said groove permitting arip cord needle to be inserted through a prong from one end of theplate, and also facilitating withdrawal of the needle.

RALPH 'r. BLoxoN.

to engage end of the

